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Raleigh
Thomas William Hearne
In Whose Honor and In Appreciation, this Publication is
issued by the Membership of the Pee Dee, Cordova,
and Pleasant Grove Baptist Churches, on the
Occasion of his Fifteenth Anniversary Oct. 15, 1939.
Born in Stanly County May 22, 1890, the son of Eben Ed-ward
Hearne and Margaret (Morton) Hearne. At 18 months of
age his Mother died and at 24 years his Father died. His bro-thers
and sisters living are: John W. Hearne, Monroe, N. C, Mrs.
Rosa H. Phillips, Richmond, California, Mrs. Elizabeth H. Huff-man,
Gastonia, N. C, and C. L. Dunn, Henegar, Ala.
On January 6, 1908, he married Miss Myrtle Gibson, of
Ridhburg, S. C, the daughter of N. B. Gibson and Laura
(Deason) Gibson.
While Rev. and Mrs. Hearne have no children of their own,
they have through the years cared for and reared several boys
and girls for periods of several months to over twenty years.
They adopted one son, Otho, now age 25, when he was a small
baby.
Most of his youth was spent on a farm in Stanly County
and during this period he was a student at Palmerville Academy.
For several years prior to his conversion on the 3rd Sunday in
August, 1918, at Prospect Baptist Church in Stanly County he
held a position with the Southern Railroad. Thereafter he en-tered
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, to prepare for the Baptist
Ministry and in 1921 was ordained in the North Albemarle Bap-tist
Church, Albemarle. His first pastorate included a field of
churches in Stanly and Montgomery Counties. In September,
1924 he came to Richmond County as Pastor at Pee Dee, Cor-dova,
Pleasant Grove and Midway. Within a short time the
rapid growth of Pee Dee and Cordova Churches required his
full time. He continues to serve Pleasant Grove with two Sun-day
afternoon services and on the fourth Sunday afternoon he
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
preaches at Mt. Holly in Montgomery County.
The historical sketches of Pee Dee, Cordova and Pleasant
Grove Churches appearing on the following pages will reveal
some of the outstanding accomplishments and progress made
by these churches during his fifteen year ministry.
He takes an active part in the educational life of the Com-munity
and State as Chairman of the Pee Dee School Committee,
and as Trustee of Wingate Junior College. All of his churches
are active in the work of the Pee Dee Baptist Association and
all phases of the denominational work of the North Carolina
Baptist State Convention. He has taken a leading part in the
development of more interest among the rural and village
churches of the State in the Baptist Hospital and North Caro-lina
Baptist Orphanage.
"Preacher" Hearne as he is commonly known by everyone,
never reads any of his 40 minute sermons. He doesn't look a
day older than his 49 years, and looks like he might live to be
a hundred.
Rev. and Mrs. Hearne live in their home located on Hamer
Hill several hundred' yards off the highway above the Pee Dee
Baptist Church, about a mile directly north of Rockingham.
Pee Dee Baptist Church
CHURCH DIRECTORY
J. E. Sanford, Clerk : : : Ralph Benoy, Jr., Treasurer
Howard Spivey, Secretary
D. D. Long, Director of Music
Mrs. S. M. Cole, Pianist
J. L. O'Quinn, Superintendent
Sunday School
Mrs. Ralph Morse, Secretary
Sunday School
Mrs. Fred E. Morgan, President
Woman's Missionary Society
DEACONS:
M. R. Soloman, Chairman
W. Z. Davis A. C. Phifer
Jack Humber Sam Caulder
Lee Brigman Ralph Benoy, Jr.
Paul Shaver S. M. Cole
M. F. Martin L. L. Thrower
Sam G. Hogan C. Daniel Melton
TRUSTEES:
A. C. Phifer, Chairman
D. L. Henry Ralph Benoy, Jr.
M. F. Martin Jack Humber
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
HISTORICAL SKETCH
A small group of approximately thirteen missionary Bap-tists
gathered in Pee Dee Academy, for some years an elemen-tary
school located at the northern edge of Pee Dee Mill Vil-lage
No. 1, on a Sunday afternoon in May,, 1917 for the purpose
of organizing a Baptist Church which would serve particularly
the Baptists living in the mill villages of Pee Dee No. 1 and 2.
This meeting was called and presided over by Reverend
A. G. Melton who was then pastor at Steele's Mill, now Cordova
and at Pleasant Grove in Richmond County. At the close of the
Conference the following individuals who were members at the
Rockingham First Baptist Church and Cartledges Creek Church
expressed a desire to form a new church and forthwith organiz-ed
the Pee Dee Missionary Baptist Church and became the
charter members. These members were: A. C. Phifer, J. J.
Dees, Mrs. J. J. Dees, Conly Covington, Mrs. Conly Covington,
Z. B. Covington, Mrs. Z. B. Covington, Mrs. J. B. McLemore, Bob
Andrews, Miss Cora Andrews, Mrs. Ida Tyson, and T. L. Beck-nell,
of whom Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Phifer, Mrs. J. J. Dees, Mrs.
Z. B. Covington, Mrs. J. B. McLemore and Mrs. Ida Tyson are
still active members. The new church then called Reverend
A. G. Melton as the first pastor.
Of the three deacons, who were also elected trustees at
this meeting, Conley B. Covington, J. J. Dees and A. C. Phifer,
the last named being chairman of both groups, only A. C. Phi-fer
survives and is now the present senior deacon. Other offi-cers
named to serve the new church were: A. C. Phifer, Clerk
and Sunday School Superintendent, and J. J. Dees, Treasurer.
For the next several months while a new church building
was being erected the small group of members of the newly
constituted church held services in the Pee Dee Protestant
Methodist Church, located just north of the present church.
It will be recalled that this was the World War period of
1918-'19 and all building material was very costly. However,
the little group of courageous members continued to work and
pray and give most liberally. The greatest number of the
members worked in the mills and each week contributed toward
the payroll of the carpenters and workmen from their weekly
earnings. One of the workmen constructing the church gave
all of his time free of cost. Many other members gave in a
most sacrificial way.
A complete canvass of the townspeople was made and con-tributions
were made by Baptists in other churches, Methodists.
Presbyterians and men and women in all walks f life. One of
the most liberal contributions of $500.00 came from the Pee
Dee Mfg. Company through the generosity and recommendation
of the late Mr. Wm. Entwistle. It is of interest, to know that
it was not until 1940 that Mr. Wm. Harry Entwistle, grandson
of the late Mr. Wm. Entwistle, authorized the Company to con-vey
without cost to the church trustees a, free and clear title to
the land where the church is located. Prior to this time the
church held possession to the land only so long as it was used
as a site' for a Baptist church.
A. C. Phifer was the contractor and builder of the original
church and on or about twelve months from the date of the
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
organization in May, 1917, the structure was completed, the
first services were held and the church dedicated.
On October 26, 1920, when the Pee Dee Baptist Association
was holding its annual Association at Cartledges Creek, the Pee
Dee Church applied and was admitted to the Association and
reported a total membership of sixty.
1920 was the last year the church was served by Pastor
Melton. In 1921 J. H. Booth was called and served through
1923 and a part of 1924. The church gained some thirty mem-bers
during this pastorate. In September, 1924 Thomas W.
Hearne accepted a call to become the third pastor and has serv-ed
continuously to this date.
Under the leadership of Pastor Hearne the church doubled
its membership and contributions the first year. All through
the years as the statistical table at the close of this historical
sketch will reveal the church has made outstanding progress.
One of the first forward steps taken by the church under
the leadership of Pastor Hearne was to decline further mission-ary
aid from the Baptist State Convention.
Time and again during the past fifteen year pastorate of
Preacher Hearne the original church building has been remodel-ed,
enlarged, and today is completely modernized with eighteen
rooms including a spacious auditorium, two department assem-bly
rooms, fourteen classrooms, and pastor's study. The build-ing
is conservatively valued at $6,500.00. It stands today a
monument to the vision, love, devotion and sacrifices1 of a faith-ful
and earnest group of Christians who have followed the lead-ership
of a wise and good pastor.
STATISTICAL HISTORY PEE DEE BAPTIST CHURCH
Church Local Dem. Total
Year—Pastors Memb's Gifts Gifts Gifts
1920 A. G. Melton 60 $773.36 $179.44 $ 952.80
1921 J. H. Booth 62 452.14 90.65 542.79
1922 J. H. Booth 83 415.00 70.80 485.80
1923 J. H. Booth 50 593.50 19.00 612.50
1924 T. W. Hearne 58 564.31 51.00 615.31
1925 T. W. Hearne 104 1181.65 53.74 1235.39
1926 T. W. Hearne 150 1718.27 81.91 1800.18
1927 T. W. Hearne 194 1338.51 50.00 1388.51
1928 T. W. Hearne 211 2409.18 163.00 2572.18
1929 T. W. Hearne 218 1727.08 157.50 1884.58
1930 T. W. Hearne 224 1947.17 128.00 2075.19
1931 T. W. Hearne 258 1809.95 128.26 1938.21
1932 T. W. Herane 267 1354.91 159.62 1514.53
1933 T. W. Hearne 180 1233.95 112.07 1346.02
1934 T. W. Hearne 194 1359.27 147.45 1506.72
1935 T. W. Hearne 204 1451.52 183.45 1634.97
1936 T. W. Hearne 225 1896.10 222.38 2118.48
1937 T. W. Hearne 265 2250.24 330.17 2580.41
1938 T. W. Hearne 341 2823.39 240.88 3064.27
1939 T. W. Hearne 418 3495.77 311.97
$2,881.29
3807.74
$30,795.27 $33,676.56
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Mrs. R. R. Ussery, Clerk : : : : R. R. Ussery, Treasurer
Mrs. Jesse N. Evans, Secretary
W. F. Moore, Director of Music. Miss Ruby Mae Bland, Pianist
0. D. Bland, Supt. Sunday School, Milton L. Pruett, Sec.
Mrs. Jesse N. Evans, President W. M. S.
DEACONS: R. R. Ussery, Chairman
0. D. Bland W. S. Kearse Taft Simmons
W. Marvin Lisk J. E. Ussery Colon Parker
TRUSTEES: 0. D. Bland, Ira B. Pittman, R. R. Ussery
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Cordova Baptist Church, located at Cordova, five miles
southwest of Rockingham, is the outgrowth of a Union Sunday
School at the same place, composed mainly of Methodists and
Baptists. The aggressive leader of the Baptist division of the
Sunday School was Eli Childress. This organization continued
for a period of time, but it was not long however until the spirit
of Missionary Baptists led to organizing a Baptist Church.
The first church took the name Steele's after the manufac-turing
plant bearing that name and was constituted mainly to
serve the people of the Steele's mill community. In 1935 for bet-ter
identification among the Baptist churches of the Pee Dee
Baptist Association and the North Carolina Baptist State Con-vention
the name was changed to Cordova.
Records are not available to show the exact date of the
organization. One of the charter members and the only one now
a member of the present church is Charles H. Gillum. It is
his opinion along with some of the older members that the group
of Baptists in the Union Sunday School came apart and organiz-ed
a missionary Baptist church in 1895 or 1896. These opinions
are supported by the record showing that on October 21, 1897
the Steele's Baptist Church was received into the Pee Dee Bap-tist
Association, at the annual meeting held in Rockingham.
T. S. Wright was the first pastor and assisted the group in per-fecting
the early organization.
Other charter members included Eli Childress and Thomas
Gillum. being the first deacons and officers of the church; others
were, Mrs. Hennie Sullivan, Mrs. Martha Hicks, and Mrs. Julia
Gilliam Davis. The church built up around the Childress, Gil-lum,
Sullivan and Hicks families. Mrs. Martha Frances Hicks
is the mother of Mrs. Ira B. Pittman, a present member.
From the date of the organization until 1900 when the pre-sent
auditorium was erected, the membership held services in
a small one room house located approximately where the old
brick school house now stands. It was later used after the
church was built by the cook employed by the Supts. of mill.
Several years ago Eli Childress, the main leader of the
early group attended an anniversary service at the church and
related some of the many difficulties and struggles of the church
in the beginning. He was a key figure in the early life of the
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
church being the person who lead the group out from the Union
Sunday School and was one of the prime movers in the erection
of the church. He related in the message above referred to
how the members from their small weekly earnings contributed
toward the building program. No assistance came from the
outside which is a remarkable tribute to this small group. Many
of the members did much of the construction work. Clinton
Robbins was the contractor and received $80 for his services.
A statistical history of the church appears on page 7. This
table gives the names of the different ministers who have serv-ed
the church from the beginning, together with the membership
and gifts for the years 1897-1939.
Throughout the years the membership has enjoyed a close
and enduring fellowship, free from unholy alliances. Most cor-dial
relationships have existed between the church and the
Steele's Mill officials, especially during the presidency of Mr.
John W. Porter, who has substantially aided the church.
A study of the statistical table reveals no substantial gains
in total members until the 'twenties. One should recall how-ever
that during the preceding years many difficulties had to
be overcome. It required courage and conviction to establish
a Baptist church under rather unfavorable conditions. In those
prior years the enduring foundations were laid for the splendid
harvest that has come during the pastorate of Thos. W. Hearne.
In the spring of 1926 the rapid growth of the church made
it necessary that the present wings and additional Sunday School
rooms be added. The entire church was remodeled including
the erection of a balcony and the installation of a Baptistry.
This recalls to the mind of the older members that prior there-to
the Baptismal services were held at the mouth of Rocky
Branch where it flows into the Steele's Mill Pond.
Each year during the past fifteen years have seen many new
improvements added to the church plant and today the church
is conservatively valued at $7,500.00. Prior to 1925 the church
received each year support from the Baptist State Mission
Board. Such support has not been requested or needed since.
In 1929 gifts totaling $2,006.96 were given to local expenses
and $145.00 given to mission and denominational causes.
The following Clerks have faithfully served the church:
W. I. Robbins, 1897-1899; J. A. Combs. 1900-1904; O. A. Sullivan,
1905-1907; J. H. Webb, 1908-1910; W. L. Messick, 1911-1914;
J. M. Douglas, 1916-1921; Maude Millican. 1922; Thomas Brooks,
1923; Virginia Pittman, 1924-1938; Mrs. R. R. Ussery, 1939
Superintendents of the Sunday School have been: R. T.
Caudle, 1897-1898; J. A. Combs, 1899; R. T. Caudle, 1900-1901;
L. B. Brady, 1902; M. J. Hutchinson, 1903-1904; W. A. Parker,
1905; P. G. Webb, 1906; J. J. Parker, 1907-1910; P. G. Webb,
1911-1912; J. F. Hicks, 1913; H. H. Deaver, 1914-1915; J. E. Us-sery,
1916-1917: W. E. Smith, 1918-1920; J. E. Ussery, 1921-1922;
S. T. Arnold, 1923; H. T. Gainev, 1924; H. H. Dabbs, 1925-1928;
O. D. Bland, 1929-1931; L. C. Ross, 1932; R. R. Ussery, 1933-
1938, and O. D. Bland, 1939-
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
STATISTICAL HISTORY COS?DOVA BAPTIST CHURCH
Year—Pastor Church Local Dem. Total
Members Gifts Gifts Gifts
1897 T. S. Wright 30 $ 26.25 $ 4.25 $ 30.50
1898 T. S. Wright 30 15.40 4.60 20.00
1899 T. S. Wright 33 151.50 5.76 157.26
1900 T. S. Wright 37 378.75 22.27 401.02
1901 T. S. Wright 20 100.25 4.25 104.50
1902 T. S. Wright .37 163.25 14.00 177.25
1903 T. S. Wright 68 93.50 2.90 96.40
1904 T. S. Wright 104 74.25 4.75 79.00
1905 T. S. Wright 75 130.00 50.00 180.00
1906 T. J. Hudson 132 235.50 35.00 270.50
1907 L. E. McDavid 135 171.00 85.00 256.00
1908 P. H. Purnell 117 182.00 52.25 234.25
1909 P. H. Purnell 119 206.65 55.00 261.65
1910 P. H. Purnell 80 260.00 55.00 315.00
1911 Jerry Reeves 65 286.00 65.00 351.00
1912 Jerry Reeves
1913 Jerry Reeves 58 217.50 78.50 296.00
1914 Jerry Reeves 60 234.85 83.12 297.97
191-5 C. E. Edwards 47 227.75 28.98 256.73
1916 C. E. Edwards 41 212.30 19.59 231.89
1917 C. E. Edwards 60 198.95 67.82 266.77
1918 A. G. Melton 63 624.50 66.14 690.64
1919 A. G. Melton 547.42 166.00 713.42
1920 W. M. Huggins 72 437.08 170.65 607.73
1921 Vacant 72 1002.32 25.85 1028.17
1922 J. H. Booth 74 830.00 50.00 880.00
1923 J. H. Booth 85 551.57 22.91 574.48
1924 T. W. Hearne 85 537.92 29.50 567.42
1925 T. W. Hearne 112 1012.91 41.41 1054.32
1926 T. W. Hearne 151 2073.17 121.93 2195.10
1927 T. W. Hearne 203 2342.77 184.67 2527.44
1928 T. W. Hearne 223 1595.31 166.04 1761.35
1929 T. W. Hearne 260 1620.36 45.60 1665.96
1930 T. W. Hearne 208 1543.61 110.30 1653.91
1931 T. W. Hearne 246 1569.76 250.89 1820.65
1932 T. W. Hearn- 270 1522.52 113.12 1635.64
1933 T. W. Hearne 269 1454.39 94.33 1548.72
1934 T. W. Hearn- 270 1718.51 102.00 1820.51
1935 T. W. Hearne 305 1491.88 136.75 1628.63
1936 T. W. Hearne 334 1824.15 130.^1 1954.8"
1937 T. W. Hearne 324 1979.55 185.00 2164.55
1938 T. W. Hearne 349 1852.86 68.08 1920.94
1939 T. W. Hearne 368 2006.96 145.00 2151.96
$33,705.17 $3,144.92 $38,850.09
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
PLEASANT GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
P. G. Webb, Clerk : : : : : W. F. Campbell, Treasurer
Miss Sally Dabbs, Pianist
W. F. Campbell, Supt. S. S.
Miss Nellie Brigman, Secretary
DEACONS:
W. F. Campbell, P. G. Webb, Eli English, Baxter Richardson.
TRUSTEES
:
Daniel E. Campbell, Baxter Richardson, Eli English.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
In 18S2. or early in 1883, seven devout Missionary Baptists, living
about 7 miles south of Rockingham on the old Sandhill Road, met and
organized Pleasant Grove Church. It is an inspiring story how these early
pioneering Baptists set themselves to the task of building—they included
two brothers, J. M. and H. S. Lyles and their wives; Mr. and Mrs. J. B.
Williams, and H. E. Maske.
These men and women were assisted in organizing by Rev. J. M. Ben-nett
who perhaps served as pastor for a short while; he died June 26, 1935,
at age of 75 and was buried at Canton. J. B. Williams and H. S. Lyles
were named as first Deacons, and J. M. Lyles and H. E. Maske as Trustees.
On April 23, 1884, the Church acquired a tract of land from John W.
Cole and on this they built. In later years, Henry C. Wall gave them addi-tional
land, making the whole area three acres.
During the first year at "laying by" time, the three men members
assisted by a few neighbors cut from the land enough timber to erect
the church. The logs were sawed at the mill of W. E. Crosland Sr., free
of charge. During the second year the frame-work, roof and sides were
built and in the third year the first services were held. During the ensuing
years the interior was finished. In the meantime, while all this was taking
place, the little group held services in the old "brush arbor" and in the
old Smith school.
The record is not available for each pastor—probably Revs. J. M. Ben-nett,
R. L. Pruette, Livingston Johnson, E. D. Cameron until 1894. There-after,
the pastors were: Revs. J. F. Tuttle 1895; T. S. Wright 1895-1904; J. W.
Cobb 1905; T. J. Hudson 1906; I. E. McDavid 1907; P. H. Purnell 1908-1910;
Jerry Reeves 1911-1914; C. E. Edwards 1915-1917; A. G. Melton 1918-1919;
W. M. Huggins 1920-1921; J. H. Booth 1922-1924.
In 1924 Rev. T. W. Hearne accepted the call and is its pastor at the
present time (1939).
In 1895, 13 years after organizing, the membership was 57. In 1924,
it was 51—but during his 15 years pastorate, Bro. Hearne has increased it
to 138 in 1939.
Many former members are buried in the church cemetery—a total now
of 125; among them, J. B. Watkins and wife and Mrs. J. B. Williams. Many
names are linked with the early history of the church, including the William-sons,
Campbells, Gardners, Smiths, Lides, Farmers, Grices, Dabbs, Webbs,
Brigmans, Richardsons, Austins and many others.
The Church has ordained and sent out one of the former members,
Thomas Lide, who is today a prominent Baptist pastor in South Carolina.
Since January 1, 190G, W. F. Campbell has served as Sunday School
Supt., and is the oldest church officer.
The greatest growth has been during T. W. Hearne's pastorate. In 1934
five additional S. S. rooms were built. Outstanding years were 1932 when 20
were baptized, 27 in 1934, 16 in 1936, 13 in 1937. A total of $6627.46 has
been given to local expenses since 1924, and $803.84 to denominational causes,
or a grand total gifts of $7531.30 during the pastorate of "Preacher" Hearne
•—a fine achievement for a loyal group. All honor to Pleasant Grove.
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
On Oct. 15th, 1939, the three Baptist churches of Pee Dee,
Cordova and Pleasant Grove held an anniversary service com-memorating
the 15th anniversary of Rev. T. W. Hearne as their
Pastor.
The service was held in the large school building at Cor-dova,
and it was full of admiring friends.
Among the speakers were Judge Don Phillips, L. J. Bell,
Rev. Bruce Benton, C. B. Deane, and the sermon by Dr. E. S.
Summers, pastor of the First Baptist church of Concord; he
was introduced by C. C. Burris, president of Wingate Junior
College, who presided.
In addition, statistical reports were prepared by Miss Vir-ginia
Pittman and Miss Viola Phifer from Cordova and Pee Dee
churches.
At the conclusion of the service Oct. 15th, Pastor Hearne
was given a delightful surprise—he was presented with a brand
new 1340 Dodge automobile by his several congregations.
And now here are the articles, starting first with the in-troduction
by President C. C. Burris, then the sermon by Dr.
Summers. This phase of the service started at 11 o'clock, with
adjournment at 12:30 for lunch. In the afternoon were the
various commendatory addresses.
Sermon by Rev. E. S. Summers
INTRODUCTION BY C. C. BURRIS:
Ladies, gentlemen and friends, we meet today on a very
happy occasion, the Fifteenth Anniversary for Rev. T. W.
Hearne—1924 to 1939, he has been your Pastor.
I wish to thank you for the honor and privilege of presid-ing
over this meeting and it is a pleasure indeed for me to come
in fellowship with you and assist in some way to show honor to
your Pastor and my good friend. I am sure we all appreciate
the use of this nice building that we are privileged to use to-day
and I hope that while it is not the House of God, we will
be careful not to abuse it in any way.
It is a pleasure indeed, too, to have with us today, Mr.
Rommie Pierce from Wingate Junior College Faculty to conduct
our singing.
I think all parts of our Church program are important,
teaching service of Sunday School with all of its manifesta-tion
for the progress of God's Work; training service of the
young people; various works that we do in our community,
heloing the poor, visiting the shut-ins, all those things are a
part—ministering the sick—all these, but the most important
part of the Church work is the preaching of God's Word. I
think it should be given the central place and primary place
and all other functions of the Church should tend toward the
preaching service.
I believe in paying honor to whom honor is due and the
Pastor is the most important officer of the Church, he is called
of God and we ought to give honor unto him as unto God. I
think it is very fitting that the central part of this exercise,
the main part, be the Sermon, and so I wish to compliment and
10 Sketcjh of Local Baptist Churches
congratulate your committee that you have thus made it your
central part of this morning's service at this hour. I congratu-late
and compliment your committee, and I rejoice with you,
for your selection of the Preacher of this morning's hour
—
friend of your Pastor through the years and personal friend
of mine and yours, if you know him. One of God's own Baptist
Evangelist, Servant of the people. It is with pleasure and
pride that I introduce to you as the Preacher of the Hour, Rev.
E. S. Summers, Pastor First Baptist Church of Concord, and
the hour is his.
SERMON BY REV. MR. SUMMERS
There must be a very close personal association and a very
strong call upon my heart to cause me to be away from my own
dear Church on a Sunday morning worship hour. Such per-sonal
association have I had with your beloved pastor that I
could not resist coming to this service where his fine work and
true worth are being rightfully recognized. The Churches here
represented were so gracious to me, when I was here with you
in some meetings a few years ago, and such a flood of happy
memories flowed over my soul when Brother Humber's invita-tion
came again I was unable to resist the urge to be with you
in this glad hour.
My subject on this beautiful occasion is "A Crown and the
Heart of God." As a basis for our thought I point you to two
texts of Scripture. The first is Philippians 4:1,, "My brethren
dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and my crown." The
second text is Jeremiah 3:15, "I will give you pastors according
to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and under-standing."
Before we go further I want to say this introductory word.
From the depths of my heart do I appreciate the people of these
three good churches letting me have a little part in this your
day of rejoicing. At this time you honor first of all Christ, the
great Head of the Church and the great Shepherd of the sheep,
then yourselves as the followers of Christ as you worthily honor
Christ's faithful under shepherd, your princely pastor. Occa-sions
such as this are cases along life's way. Such rich and
sacred fellowships give relief from the grit and grind of the
long desert march, give zest and courage for the tiresome jour-ney
on the wide plateau and power for the steep and perilous
climb to the mountain top where a vision of the fellowship of
God's home may be seen.
I'm happy to be among Christians who know how to be
friendly. How this sin-sick, war-torn world needs the spirit
of brotherhood and Christian friendship. Yes, and how often
do some Christian people need to be reminded of the every day
notices and common courtesies of life. The dear little three
year old girl who couldn't talk very plain prayed far more
meaningfully than she knew when she added to her child's
prayer, "And dood Dod make all badpeople dood and make all
dood people nice." True friendships, the kind you people de-monstrated
to me some years ago, the kind that makes this day
possible and the kind the evidences of which I see mirrored on
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 11
your faces today, may yet make this old world a better place
in which to live.
With the passing days the conviction is being more and
more firmly planted in my soul that friendship cemented by
Christian love is man's dearest earthly treasure. In saying this
I'm not minimizing the home. But our homes will be disrupted
unless friendship's ties are sufficient to hold the home together.
Nor am I minimizing money with all the blessings it may bring.
But money will buy little where there are no friends. I'm not
forgetting our loved ones. But even our loved ones may be-come
burdensome where friendships have been sundered.
Truly the great Apostle says that the greatest of all is love and
yet love becomes helpless unless friendships give to love avenues
of expression. Jesus loved Jerusalem but when friendship in
the Oity of the great king was lacking even the love of Jesus
was expressed in the bitter wail : "0 Jerusalem, thou that kill-est
the prophets and stoneth them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gatherest her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."
The happiest man I ever remember meeting was a pastor
who loved his people devotedly—had loved them through the
years and still loved them—but somehow the ties of friendship
had broken and he had no way of expressing his love to those
for whom his heart yearned. On the other hand, I feel that
about the happiest man in all the world is that pastor whose
churches, after fifteen years of fellowship, magnify the endear-ing
and enduring ties of friendship in occasions such as this
when reciprocal Christian love can have its rightful place.
Now let me say but two brief words about the true connec-tion
between a pastor and his people.
1. A CHURCH RIGHTLY RELATED TO HER PASTOR
IS THAT PASTOR'S PRICELESS CROWN. In my first text
read a few moments ago (Philippians 4:1) Paul speaks of a
church similar to Pleasant Grove, Cordova or Pee Dee as "My
joy and my crown." A man is really king when he is held in
kingly esteem in the hearts of his people. He is declared king
when a crown is placed upon his head. Today you crown your
pastor with words and tokens or honor, but his true crown is
you. Your friendship, loyalty and love shown through the
years that have been and shall be are more gracious tokens than
you could possibly bestow in any single day though you might
crown him with the costliest material crown of earth.
A crown speaks, first of all, of loyalty in following the
leader. So just as you people faithfully follow the leadership
of your dear pastor as he follows Christ do you worthily crown
his efforts. The next message of a crown is that of loyalty.
When a church moves forward in one bond of Christian love
then the crown on the head also gladdens the heart of the pas-tor.
In the third place a crown speaks of fidelity. You have
been faithful in your love guarding the position, the home and
the good name of your pastor and guarding the good fellow-ship
of the church he loves. You haven't let Satan, sin or un-worthy
men steal away his crown. As again and again you
prove true he shall continue to be able to say with Paul "My
12 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
helping hand and has never interferred with or crossed me in
joy and my crown."
The last word of a crown is the word of success. A king
retains his crown just so long as his army is successful. So
just as you church members win the battle over sin in your
daily lives, over sin in your community and just as you join
your forces with your sister churches in great missionary en-deavor
that Christ may conquer in all the world will you con-tinue
to be a worthy crown.
2. My second word must be spoken briefly, it is thus: A
PASTOR RIGHTLY RELATED TO HIS CHURCH IS GOD'S
HEART FOR THAT CHURCH. In the last of the two verses
read as our text (Jeremiah 3:15), Jehovah says to those He
loves, "I will give you pastors according to mine heart." An
ancient Chinese proverb said: "God couldn't be everywhere so
He made mothers." While perhaps you would not put it just
that way still the old proverb does express a true and beauti-ful
relationship. In some such manner let me say that Christ,
the great Shepherd or Pastor, could only be everywhere in
spiritual presence so He made under Shepherds, or Pastors to
visibly and tangibly be His heart of love and blessing for His
people.
Christ says to such men as your Pastor, "Go preach—make
disciples—baptize them—teach them—and lo, I am with thee
always even to the end of the ages." Christ comes with His
gospel and with the preacher of His gospel into many hearts,
homes, communities and churches.
Through the lips of your human pastor the voice of the
spiritual God becomes audible in the message of salvation as
souls have been led to know Christ as Savior and Lord. Through
the faithful pastor's ministries God's heart has been interpreted
to you in your hours of uncertainty, sorrow and need as he has
brought understanding, comfort and strength from on high.
If and when there has been failure remember that God says
through His great servant Paul that He has placed this minis-try
not in the hands of angels but in earthen vessels that the
glory might be of God and not of man.
The responsibility of being the very heart of God, as the
pastor is to interpret the love of God to his people, humbles any
God-called pastor and leads him to plead for and to constantly
depend upon the love, forgiveness, friendship and prayers of
his faithful people. My prayer is that you who have labored
together so successfully under the good hand of your God for
these fifteen years may be the recipients of even greater bless-ings
from God as He shall guide you even more gloriously in
the years that are yet to come. May God bless you.
Hearne as a
EY JUDGE F. DON PHILLIPS
My friends, it gives me great pleasure to perform the
small part of this service that I am now about to perform. A
lady of your community informed me of this fine tribute that
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 13
you are now paying your Pastor and asked me to join you today
since I was a close personal friend of Mr. Hearne. She did not
say a word about me having1 to make a speech, and not until
Saturday did I know that I was to speak and not until this af-ternoon
did I know what I was to speak about. So you will
know what I say will be entirely impromptu and from my heart.
I have learned to know Mr. Hearne (I call him Preacher)
in these past fifteen years very well. I have had a great deal
of pleasure talking with him about the problems of his work
and the problems of my work. Many days I have met him in
Dave Henry's store and we would talk together and I would give
him my opinions and advice in regard to his problems and he
would give me his God given advice in regard to my official
and everyday problems.
These people around nere have certainly been doing some
"Dodging" about in the last few days. Preacher Hearne has
been "dodging" for quite awhile now—not the wrong kind of
dodging however—dodging here and there doing God's work
among his people and then dodging publicity for this honorable
work. Today Mr. Hearne's friends have said many good and
honorable things of him which we all know to be true but there
is one thing about him which they failed to mention. This fine
quality which they failed to mention is Tolerance. You know
and I know a great many good me,n, Godly men that fail in this
respect. Mr. Hearne, however, has more tolerance than any
man I have ever known. When he hears of one that has fallen
by the wayside he goes straight to his side (not behind his back
and helps to down him further by telling others of his down-fall)
and asks to let him do something to help bring him back
to God. My friends, tolerance is one of the greatest attributes
a man can possess. I heard a sermon sometime ago preached by
one of the great North Carolina Bishops, and I was glad to
hear the preacher that delivered the sermon to us today handle
the same subject matter so ably. The gist of his subject was
that the Christian people worshiped an invisible God. He said
that God's children could not see him physically and the only
way that God could be revealed to his people was through the
lives of men and women upon the earth. Preacher Hearne for
fifteen (15) years has moved among the people of this com-munity
and by his works, visiting the sick, helping the needy,
advising the downfallen, burying the dead, praying with the
sorrowful and in many other countless ways, has been reveal-ing
the presence of God to his peopd.e. By his life he has shown
to the people of this community the presence of our Invisible
God.
My friends, the task you have so kindly given me to per-form
and which I consider an honor and a privilege, because
you have asked me to convey a small measure of your love to
your Beloved Pastor—Preacher Hearne, I now, on behalf of
your people, who love and respect you, present to you, as a small
tok°n of their love and appreciation, the keys to a New 1940
Dodge Automobile.
14 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Hearne as a Neighboring Pastor
BY REV. BRUCE BENTON.
I don't know whether I am supposed to talk about myself
as a neighboring Pastor or talk about Brother Hearne as a
Neighboring Pastor. But I assume that I am to talk about my
neighbor—to say what I please about him. We have the privi-lege
of saying about our neighbors just what we want to say,
anywhere and at any time, but there are a few things that I
don't say to my wife, nor to any other woman. I feel this af-ternoon
that we should not overlook the fact that our neighbor
here has a wife, and if you will believe one who has been mar-ried
sometime, and who has had quite a bit of experience, more
is to be attributed to the wife for the success of these Churches
than to the husband. Now he does not like that, but I don't
care. Now what I say to her I will say it privately—not in
the presence of her husband.
As a neighboring Pastor, I was here when Mr. Hearne
came. When he came to Rockingham I had never seen him
before, and I didn't care much and he didn't either—we were
just a little shy of each other—he didn't fool around me and
you believe me—I didn't fool around him either. So we just
went along with an eye on each other—I was trying to see what
kind of a man he was before I was willing to commit myself,
and I suppose he was doing the same. For about a year we
didn't have anything to do with each other, but in length of
time I had watched him closely, and I became convinced that
he was just the man for the situation at Pee Dee and Cordova
Churches. He was needed in this community, and I extended to
him the palm branch after about a year, and he accepted, and
from that day to this we have talked and walked together, and
when we want to do any mischief we do it together. He is one
of the funniest fellows to travel about with you have ever seen.
He won't take his members along—no, he wouldn't do that.
When he wishes to relax we go off sometimes half a day, and
then sometimes a full day and night, and I have to wire back
home and tell my wife where vve are. He just tells me all
about you men and women, but there is one thing I have noticed,
he won't let me say a thing against one of you ; he tells me he
has a right to say what he pleases about his own people, but I
just can't say a word; and I tell him about my people and if
he says anything, I, too, put a stop to that right now. You
know a preacher has to have a little outlet for his surplus
energy—somebodv to explode on. After he has gone throng 1
!
the services on Sunday, Monday morning he is on the warpath
and a very dangerous man; he will get mad with anybody abo"t
anything. I think that is one of the reasons we get away from
home on Mondav. Women have a lot of sense—well, women
DO have a lot of sense, and thev gently work it in some way to
get us out of the house on Monday, but by Monday night every-thing
is all right. After Monday the preacher has toned down,
and then he is ready for the next week's work.
I have labored with this man for fifteen years. He and I
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 15
have never had any cross purposes. I have rejoiced in the
success, worked along with him in harmony. You know,
preachers are envious and jealous of each other. Ordinarily,
you let a preacher succeed with his work and immediately other
preachers will rise up to criticise him. Somehow, there is
something in us that just simply puts a fighting attitude when
another fellow preacher begins to rise up and become prosper-ous;
but I will say this out of an honest heart, I have rejoiced
since the first day he came into the field, and I have tried to
render him a helping hand, and he has always rendered me his
helping hand and has never interferred with or crossed me in
my work. We have worked together in perfect harmony. He
is one person I have run with more frequently and talked to
more openly, and revealed to more of my secrets than any other
man with whom I have worked. I have told him things of my
work, and he has told me things of his work—I know him like
a book. I know him from his feet up, and he and I have walk-ed
and talked and lived together these fifteen years in great
harmony; and if the Good Lord should remove him from this
earth before He removes me, I will have a sad heart, because I
shall miss him. I hope that we may live here a long time, and
if I should go first, I shall not expect him to say any good things
about me when I am gone; but I would appreciate it, if he
would drop a tear on my casket; and if he goes first I shall drop
a tear on his casket because of the love that I have had for him.
A Layman's View of Hearne
BY L. J. BELL
It is a very great pleasure to me to have the opportunity
to make a small contribution to this very interesting program.
It is eminently fitting that 15 years of faithful and far-reaching
service in a community should be recognized, and it
is equally sure that in paying a tribute to a public benefactor
of this type, we do but, in a measure, honor ourselves.
For all these years Rev. Thos. W. Hearne has been one of
the leading ministers of his great denomination in the Pee Dee
section of North and South Carolina.
No man has ever had more loyal support or heartier co-operation
on the part of his members and church workers than
he. His churches are wide-awake and active, gathering their
enthusiasm from his own dynamic personality and leadership.
Calls have repeatedly come to him to leave and go to larger
and perhaps more remunerative pastorates elsewhere. His
congregations on these occasions have risen en masse, begging
and praying him to remain. In these petitions entire commu-nities,
regardless of church affiliation have anxiously and
eagerly joined, and he has stayed to serve and bless these com-munities
with his life and service.
It is pretty generally admitted that to be a great preacher
or a great physician or a great teacher, or great in any of life's
vocations, one must be right much of a man, a real man, to
start with. You can't do much of anything with a wishy-washy,
purposeless drifting, spineless creature, and all the
16 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
education and training in the world will never make a man of
him.
Preacher Hearne, as he is generally called, is a man of
courage and convictions. He believes in things and expresses
his opinions clearly, forcefully and positively, and is ready
to stand by them and fight for them if necessary.
In his preaching he shoots straight from the shoulder.
There is no compromising, no trimming, no side-stepping, no
pussy footing in his whole make-up. When he gets through
you know where he stands, and his congregations like his hon-esty
and sincerity.
And yet his great heart is as tender and sympathetic as
that of a little child. He can hate and despise sin, while pity-ing
the poor misguided sinner. I shall long remember the
strong message he brought to this community when he preach-ed
the sermon dedicating this building two years ago.
He is intensely interested in young people and they reci-procate
in their feeling for him. If I am not mistaken he has
been a very active member of the Board of Trustees of Win-gate
Junior College for some time, and for some 6 or more
years Chairman of the School Committee of the Pee Dee School.
He is always ready and willing to serve whenever and wherever
he can benefit the young life of his day and time.
Without a doubt he is one of the most popular men in Rich-mond
County. He likes people and therefore people like him.
Never in my life have I heard anyone speak of him without say-ing
something nice and complimentary about him.
I am reminded of a story that is told of Charles Lamb, the
famous English essayist and story teller. In the course of a
conversation with a friend, a certain man's name was used,
sweet-spirited Charles Lamb said, with a good deal of empha-sis,
"Don't mention that fellow's name to me. I naturally hate
him." His friend replied, "Why, Charles, I didn't think you
even knew him." Charles Lamb said, "Of course I don't know
him. If I know him, I couldn't hate him.' r
I wonder if that isn't the principal reason we dislike some-body?
Perhaps we just don't know him well enough to learn
his likeable traits.
Preacher Hearne knows everybody and loves everybody,
carrying out the Scripture admonition to "love thy neighbor as
thyself." If he has ever had a headache or a grouch or gotten
up in a, bad humor, /nobody has ever found it out, unless it be
his good wife, and she hasn't told it.
He has a keen sense of humor and a great fund of stories
that have grown up out of his own experience. No doubt his
love of clean fun and his quick perception of the ridiculous
have served as shock absorbers to cany him through the many
trying and annoying situations of every day life.
I am proud to be numbered among his many friends. We
are of about the same physical statute. I don't have to reach
up to him and he doesn't have to reach down to me. This is
very gratifying to a small man like myself. I like to put my
arm about his shoulder and walk along with him. Apparently
he doesn't resent—and I hope this gesture on my part tells
Ffl
__ owl -
h of Local- BapiietChMrcfogg 17
him of my respect for him as a man and my genuine affection
for him as a friend.
True friendship between man and man is one of the divinest
things in the world, and one of the most unselfish emotions that
stirs the human heart. It is the Golden Cord that links earth
to Heaven. Don't you think this is an over-statement? Then
listen to one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testa-ment.
I shall use the word Love in place of Charity, for
they mean the same here:
'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels,
and have not love, I am become as sounding brass and tinkling
cymbals.
And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that
I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it
profiteth me nothing.
Love suffereth long and is kind; love envieth not, love
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Doth not behave itself unseemingly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
Beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things.
Love never faileth."
There is a beautiful poem, along the same thought, which
is familiar to every High School pupil.
Abou Ben Adhem may his tribe increase
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace
And saw within the moonlight in his room
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom.
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold
And to the presence in the room he said
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is minq one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke moire low
But cheerily still and said, "I pray thee then
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
Then the angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo, Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
I have tried to show you in plain, simple words the picture
of Rev. Thos. W. Hearne as the public knows him. He has
marked out for himself a course in life to which he is as true
as the needle to the pole, and which is summed up in the
Scripture quotation:
"And what doth God require of thee but to do justly and to
love mercy, and to work humbly with thy God."
This is the pattern of his life.
18 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
How His Churches Regard Him
BY C. B. DEANE
I greet you Mr. Hearne and Mrs. Hearne and you splendid
folks who compose the membership of Cordova, Pleasant Grove
and Pee Dee Churches. This is a most joyful occasion and I
too rejoice in the event that brings us together today.
It is not often that a group of churches can come together
and report such splendid financial accomplishments as were
contained in the reports that have just been submitted. Neither
is it easy to take a group of figures and make a very interesting
statement. However we are all able to fully appreciate "a bal-ance".
Most of our churches show "overdrafts," if I may be
allowed to use1 the language of the banker. The 'reports that
have been read by the ladies representing the three churches
pastored by Mr. Hearne during these fifteen years do not tell
the whole story. They do not give us sufficient information
to realize that at Cordova, Pleasant Grove and at Pee Dee
groups of faithful members have worked hard and faithfully to
show at the end of these fifteen years an outstanding balance
both spiritually and financially.
While these reports were being read I thought of that in-cident
recorded in the New Testament, where Christ, now risen
from the dead, joined two of his disciples as they journeyed
toward Emmaus. The deciples did not recognize the Master
until He joined them in an evening meal along the roadside.
Thereafter the Lord vanished and these two disciples said one to
the other: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he spake
with us along the way." Such must be the feeling of everyone
in this audience this afternoon. As we iisten to the speeches
and especially as we listened to the reports we can express the
sentiment expressed by those two disciples two thousand years
ago — "Does not our hearts glow with justifiable pride as we
recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the Pastor and
members of these three churches during the past fifteen years."
If I may, let me repeat the figures which show the gifts
made to the Co-operative Program which represents the dif-ferent
phases of the denominational program, and which does
not include local church gifts.
And may I say that in order to appreciate these gifts we
must realize that each of the churches began with a small hand-ful
of members fifteen years ago. Cordova has given $962.05,
Pleasant Grove $325.60 and Pee Dee $1,193.22.
A study of the records of all Churches reveal the fact that
as a church supports its benevolent or missionary program just
in the same proportion will it develop spiritually and show
marked progress in all of its activities. These churches are
certainly carrying forward a missionary program that is worthy
of emulation. It is an inspiration to us your friends, who
share in this happy occasion and we congratulate you.
A feature of these reports, and about which little, if any-thing
was said, is the fact that the churches are free of debt.
In this day most of our churches are staggering along with
excessive debts. Churches like individuals cannot do their best
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 19
work when faced with pressing obligations. The fact that your
churches are out of debt is worthy of note when you witness the
splendidly equipped and modern churches in which you worship
from Sunday to Sunday.
A beautiful tribute is due the membership of these churches
because of the loyal and faithful service accorded your pastor.
One would fail in his duty if he failed to emphasize this fact.
Since 1924, the year your Pastor assumed the Pastorate of
these churches we have passed through some very trying years.
When Mr. Hearne came to Richmond County our County, and
State and Nation was just emerging from the World War. They
were trying and difficult days and when coupled with days and
weeks and months of unemployment the membership of thes2
churches responded to the challenge and leadership of the good
man we honor today. One of the very first acts of your
churches fifteen years ago was to assume the entire financial
burden of the churches. Prior to 1924 the greater part of the
Pastor's salary was paid by the Baptist State Mission Board
Since 1924 you have assumed this responsibility and today your
churches are among the leaders in the Pee Dee Association.
It has not been an easy task but I know that you are happy you
made the sacrifice. Today you can rejoice in a task well done
and launch out into an even greater program.
Another significant feature that comes from a study of
these reports is that approximately 95 per cent of the present
membership of your churches, now totaling 924 were brought
in during this decade and half thru the efforts of your present
Pastor. This does not take into account the hundreds of mem-bers
who have moved away during this period. It thrills us
all when we note that during this year a total of 82 person^
were received for Baptism alone. Indeed you are carrying out
the Commission of our Master.
These words of mine are not intended to be a boastful
oration. The facts indicate that here we have a happy, co-operative
membership, following the leadership of a faithful
aggressive Minister. The natural outgrowth of such a fellow-ship
is reflected in the excellent reports and events which bring
to a close fifteen years of devoted Ministry.
I congratulate you, Mr. Hearne and Mrs. Hearne, and you
his loyal members. May the events of this day challenge you
to even greater goals.
Mr. Hearne's Reply
APPRECIATIVE OF KIND WORDS
Mr. Burris, distinguished visitors, my friends:
The moment seems too sacred for me to say anything. My
heart is deeply moved. Mr. Benton has told you of a few of
our experiences together, interspersing his remarks with a few
jokes. For a moment I was afraid he wras going to tell some-thing.
Before he got through he took all the talk out of me—if
there was any in me. If I am shaking, you may know that it
is not because I am cold.
20 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Of course, any man would appreciate the nice things that
have been said. I am indebted to my freinds that have appeared
on this program—your program, not mine. Many of my friends
could not be here today, not through any choice of their own,
but circumstances over which they have not control, made it
impossible. While I am deeply grateful to you visitors that
have come with us today, and said these fine things about
me, I want you to know that I am ever thankful to the many
devoted men, women, boys and girls who constitute the con-gregations
that I serve. After all, you have made this hour
possible; you, the people I serve daily, and have made a sincere
effort to serve, in my limited way, through these years. I| will
never be able to thank you for the many kind things you have
done for me. You have put food on my table, clothes on my
back, your unselfish devotion and loyalty to me as your pastor
has also made it possible for me to have a home on the hill top;
and now you come, bringing this fine car as a token of your
love and esteem for me. Surely you can understand why
I am almost overcome with emotion. Added to all that has
been said and done here today, I am not unmindful of your
willingness to stand by me in the hours that were darkest.
Your willingness to uphold my hand at all times has made
it possible for me to carry on in this great work. No man
has ever served a more loyal people, and the true sentiment
oif my heart is that I thank God for you.
I feel as the young man that graduated with great hon|ors
from one of our colleges. During the graduation service
he was presented with several medals. At the close of
the exeircises he was asked to say something, and when
presented by the President of the Class, the young man
arose and walked down from the stage and back near the
door. He laid his hands on a plain little gray-haired lady
wearing a black bonnet. By her side was a poorly clad
man. He insisted until he got them to come down to the
front with him, and then he stated, "Mr. President, mem-bers
of this faculty, and my friends that are gathered here,
I want you to meet the greatest man and woman I have ever
known. These medals all belong to them, all the honor be-longs
to them. All that I ever expect to be, I owe to them.
Back on the farm they labored, they gave their prayers, their
whole lives so that this great hour might be possible. I
feel today that if honor is to be bestowed, it is to my people
—
Honor unto whom honor is due."
God bless each one of you, and don't let the day, if it be
hot, nor the night, if it be cold, fail to call upon me if you
need me. It is the joy of my life to serve you and to these
great men of God that have come here and said the nice things
about me, they are my friends, Mr. Benton, Mr. Burris and Mr.
Bell, Mr. Deane, Judge Phillips and all the rest—I don't know
what to say other than I love you. Let's all go home now and
in another fifteen years you can come back and bring me
an aeroplane.
Historical Data Compiled and Edited by
C. B. Deane, Clerk Pee Dee Baptist Association.
PRINTED BY POST-DISPATCH, ROCKINGHAM, N. C.
GC 286.1 D283h
Deane, C. B.
Historical sketches, Pee Dee, Cordova, a
3 3091 00116 0175
DATE DUE
GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A.
PAMPHLET BINDER
^ZZ Syracuse, N. Y.
^^; Stockton, Colif.
NORTH CAROLINIANA
RESTRICTED
286.1
D2S3h
Dearie, comp.
Historical sketches Pee Dee, Cordova,
Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist
Churches, Richmond County, North
Carolina
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Raleigh
Thomas William Hearne
In Whose Honor and In Appreciation, this Publication is
issued by the Membership of the Pee Dee, Cordova,
and Pleasant Grove Baptist Churches, on the
Occasion of his Fifteenth Anniversary Oct. 15, 1939.
Born in Stanly County May 22, 1890, the son of Eben Ed-ward
Hearne and Margaret (Morton) Hearne. At 18 months of
age his Mother died and at 24 years his Father died. His bro-thers
and sisters living are: John W. Hearne, Monroe, N. C, Mrs.
Rosa H. Phillips, Richmond, California, Mrs. Elizabeth H. Huff-man,
Gastonia, N. C, and C. L. Dunn, Henegar, Ala.
On January 6, 1908, he married Miss Myrtle Gibson, of
Ridhburg, S. C, the daughter of N. B. Gibson and Laura
(Deason) Gibson.
While Rev. and Mrs. Hearne have no children of their own,
they have through the years cared for and reared several boys
and girls for periods of several months to over twenty years.
They adopted one son, Otho, now age 25, when he was a small
baby.
Most of his youth was spent on a farm in Stanly County
and during this period he was a student at Palmerville Academy.
For several years prior to his conversion on the 3rd Sunday in
August, 1918, at Prospect Baptist Church in Stanly County he
held a position with the Southern Railroad. Thereafter he en-tered
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, to prepare for the Baptist
Ministry and in 1921 was ordained in the North Albemarle Bap-tist
Church, Albemarle. His first pastorate included a field of
churches in Stanly and Montgomery Counties. In September,
1924 he came to Richmond County as Pastor at Pee Dee, Cor-dova,
Pleasant Grove and Midway. Within a short time the
rapid growth of Pee Dee and Cordova Churches required his
full time. He continues to serve Pleasant Grove with two Sun-day
afternoon services and on the fourth Sunday afternoon he
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
preaches at Mt. Holly in Montgomery County.
The historical sketches of Pee Dee, Cordova and Pleasant
Grove Churches appearing on the following pages will reveal
some of the outstanding accomplishments and progress made
by these churches during his fifteen year ministry.
He takes an active part in the educational life of the Com-munity
and State as Chairman of the Pee Dee School Committee,
and as Trustee of Wingate Junior College. All of his churches
are active in the work of the Pee Dee Baptist Association and
all phases of the denominational work of the North Carolina
Baptist State Convention. He has taken a leading part in the
development of more interest among the rural and village
churches of the State in the Baptist Hospital and North Caro-lina
Baptist Orphanage.
"Preacher" Hearne as he is commonly known by everyone,
never reads any of his 40 minute sermons. He doesn't look a
day older than his 49 years, and looks like he might live to be
a hundred.
Rev. and Mrs. Hearne live in their home located on Hamer
Hill several hundred' yards off the highway above the Pee Dee
Baptist Church, about a mile directly north of Rockingham.
Pee Dee Baptist Church
CHURCH DIRECTORY
J. E. Sanford, Clerk : : : Ralph Benoy, Jr., Treasurer
Howard Spivey, Secretary
D. D. Long, Director of Music
Mrs. S. M. Cole, Pianist
J. L. O'Quinn, Superintendent
Sunday School
Mrs. Ralph Morse, Secretary
Sunday School
Mrs. Fred E. Morgan, President
Woman's Missionary Society
DEACONS:
M. R. Soloman, Chairman
W. Z. Davis A. C. Phifer
Jack Humber Sam Caulder
Lee Brigman Ralph Benoy, Jr.
Paul Shaver S. M. Cole
M. F. Martin L. L. Thrower
Sam G. Hogan C. Daniel Melton
TRUSTEES:
A. C. Phifer, Chairman
D. L. Henry Ralph Benoy, Jr.
M. F. Martin Jack Humber
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
HISTORICAL SKETCH
A small group of approximately thirteen missionary Bap-tists
gathered in Pee Dee Academy, for some years an elemen-tary
school located at the northern edge of Pee Dee Mill Vil-lage
No. 1, on a Sunday afternoon in May,, 1917 for the purpose
of organizing a Baptist Church which would serve particularly
the Baptists living in the mill villages of Pee Dee No. 1 and 2.
This meeting was called and presided over by Reverend
A. G. Melton who was then pastor at Steele's Mill, now Cordova
and at Pleasant Grove in Richmond County. At the close of the
Conference the following individuals who were members at the
Rockingham First Baptist Church and Cartledges Creek Church
expressed a desire to form a new church and forthwith organiz-ed
the Pee Dee Missionary Baptist Church and became the
charter members. These members were: A. C. Phifer, J. J.
Dees, Mrs. J. J. Dees, Conly Covington, Mrs. Conly Covington,
Z. B. Covington, Mrs. Z. B. Covington, Mrs. J. B. McLemore, Bob
Andrews, Miss Cora Andrews, Mrs. Ida Tyson, and T. L. Beck-nell,
of whom Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Phifer, Mrs. J. J. Dees, Mrs.
Z. B. Covington, Mrs. J. B. McLemore and Mrs. Ida Tyson are
still active members. The new church then called Reverend
A. G. Melton as the first pastor.
Of the three deacons, who were also elected trustees at
this meeting, Conley B. Covington, J. J. Dees and A. C. Phifer,
the last named being chairman of both groups, only A. C. Phi-fer
survives and is now the present senior deacon. Other offi-cers
named to serve the new church were: A. C. Phifer, Clerk
and Sunday School Superintendent, and J. J. Dees, Treasurer.
For the next several months while a new church building
was being erected the small group of members of the newly
constituted church held services in the Pee Dee Protestant
Methodist Church, located just north of the present church.
It will be recalled that this was the World War period of
1918-'19 and all building material was very costly. However,
the little group of courageous members continued to work and
pray and give most liberally. The greatest number of the
members worked in the mills and each week contributed toward
the payroll of the carpenters and workmen from their weekly
earnings. One of the workmen constructing the church gave
all of his time free of cost. Many other members gave in a
most sacrificial way.
A complete canvass of the townspeople was made and con-tributions
were made by Baptists in other churches, Methodists.
Presbyterians and men and women in all walks f life. One of
the most liberal contributions of $500.00 came from the Pee
Dee Mfg. Company through the generosity and recommendation
of the late Mr. Wm. Entwistle. It is of interest, to know that
it was not until 1940 that Mr. Wm. Harry Entwistle, grandson
of the late Mr. Wm. Entwistle, authorized the Company to con-vey
without cost to the church trustees a, free and clear title to
the land where the church is located. Prior to this time the
church held possession to the land only so long as it was used
as a site' for a Baptist church.
A. C. Phifer was the contractor and builder of the original
church and on or about twelve months from the date of the
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
organization in May, 1917, the structure was completed, the
first services were held and the church dedicated.
On October 26, 1920, when the Pee Dee Baptist Association
was holding its annual Association at Cartledges Creek, the Pee
Dee Church applied and was admitted to the Association and
reported a total membership of sixty.
1920 was the last year the church was served by Pastor
Melton. In 1921 J. H. Booth was called and served through
1923 and a part of 1924. The church gained some thirty mem-bers
during this pastorate. In September, 1924 Thomas W.
Hearne accepted a call to become the third pastor and has serv-ed
continuously to this date.
Under the leadership of Pastor Hearne the church doubled
its membership and contributions the first year. All through
the years as the statistical table at the close of this historical
sketch will reveal the church has made outstanding progress.
One of the first forward steps taken by the church under
the leadership of Pastor Hearne was to decline further mission-ary
aid from the Baptist State Convention.
Time and again during the past fifteen year pastorate of
Preacher Hearne the original church building has been remodel-ed,
enlarged, and today is completely modernized with eighteen
rooms including a spacious auditorium, two department assem-bly
rooms, fourteen classrooms, and pastor's study. The build-ing
is conservatively valued at $6,500.00. It stands today a
monument to the vision, love, devotion and sacrifices1 of a faith-ful
and earnest group of Christians who have followed the lead-ership
of a wise and good pastor.
STATISTICAL HISTORY PEE DEE BAPTIST CHURCH
Church Local Dem. Total
Year—Pastors Memb's Gifts Gifts Gifts
1920 A. G. Melton 60 $773.36 $179.44 $ 952.80
1921 J. H. Booth 62 452.14 90.65 542.79
1922 J. H. Booth 83 415.00 70.80 485.80
1923 J. H. Booth 50 593.50 19.00 612.50
1924 T. W. Hearne 58 564.31 51.00 615.31
1925 T. W. Hearne 104 1181.65 53.74 1235.39
1926 T. W. Hearne 150 1718.27 81.91 1800.18
1927 T. W. Hearne 194 1338.51 50.00 1388.51
1928 T. W. Hearne 211 2409.18 163.00 2572.18
1929 T. W. Hearne 218 1727.08 157.50 1884.58
1930 T. W. Hearne 224 1947.17 128.00 2075.19
1931 T. W. Hearne 258 1809.95 128.26 1938.21
1932 T. W. Herane 267 1354.91 159.62 1514.53
1933 T. W. Hearne 180 1233.95 112.07 1346.02
1934 T. W. Hearne 194 1359.27 147.45 1506.72
1935 T. W. Hearne 204 1451.52 183.45 1634.97
1936 T. W. Hearne 225 1896.10 222.38 2118.48
1937 T. W. Hearne 265 2250.24 330.17 2580.41
1938 T. W. Hearne 341 2823.39 240.88 3064.27
1939 T. W. Hearne 418 3495.77 311.97
$2,881.29
3807.74
$30,795.27 $33,676.56
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Mrs. R. R. Ussery, Clerk : : : : R. R. Ussery, Treasurer
Mrs. Jesse N. Evans, Secretary
W. F. Moore, Director of Music. Miss Ruby Mae Bland, Pianist
0. D. Bland, Supt. Sunday School, Milton L. Pruett, Sec.
Mrs. Jesse N. Evans, President W. M. S.
DEACONS: R. R. Ussery, Chairman
0. D. Bland W. S. Kearse Taft Simmons
W. Marvin Lisk J. E. Ussery Colon Parker
TRUSTEES: 0. D. Bland, Ira B. Pittman, R. R. Ussery
HISTORICAL SKETCH
Cordova Baptist Church, located at Cordova, five miles
southwest of Rockingham, is the outgrowth of a Union Sunday
School at the same place, composed mainly of Methodists and
Baptists. The aggressive leader of the Baptist division of the
Sunday School was Eli Childress. This organization continued
for a period of time, but it was not long however until the spirit
of Missionary Baptists led to organizing a Baptist Church.
The first church took the name Steele's after the manufac-turing
plant bearing that name and was constituted mainly to
serve the people of the Steele's mill community. In 1935 for bet-ter
identification among the Baptist churches of the Pee Dee
Baptist Association and the North Carolina Baptist State Con-vention
the name was changed to Cordova.
Records are not available to show the exact date of the
organization. One of the charter members and the only one now
a member of the present church is Charles H. Gillum. It is
his opinion along with some of the older members that the group
of Baptists in the Union Sunday School came apart and organiz-ed
a missionary Baptist church in 1895 or 1896. These opinions
are supported by the record showing that on October 21, 1897
the Steele's Baptist Church was received into the Pee Dee Bap-tist
Association, at the annual meeting held in Rockingham.
T. S. Wright was the first pastor and assisted the group in per-fecting
the early organization.
Other charter members included Eli Childress and Thomas
Gillum. being the first deacons and officers of the church; others
were, Mrs. Hennie Sullivan, Mrs. Martha Hicks, and Mrs. Julia
Gilliam Davis. The church built up around the Childress, Gil-lum,
Sullivan and Hicks families. Mrs. Martha Frances Hicks
is the mother of Mrs. Ira B. Pittman, a present member.
From the date of the organization until 1900 when the pre-sent
auditorium was erected, the membership held services in
a small one room house located approximately where the old
brick school house now stands. It was later used after the
church was built by the cook employed by the Supts. of mill.
Several years ago Eli Childress, the main leader of the
early group attended an anniversary service at the church and
related some of the many difficulties and struggles of the church
in the beginning. He was a key figure in the early life of the
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
church being the person who lead the group out from the Union
Sunday School and was one of the prime movers in the erection
of the church. He related in the message above referred to
how the members from their small weekly earnings contributed
toward the building program. No assistance came from the
outside which is a remarkable tribute to this small group. Many
of the members did much of the construction work. Clinton
Robbins was the contractor and received $80 for his services.
A statistical history of the church appears on page 7. This
table gives the names of the different ministers who have serv-ed
the church from the beginning, together with the membership
and gifts for the years 1897-1939.
Throughout the years the membership has enjoyed a close
and enduring fellowship, free from unholy alliances. Most cor-dial
relationships have existed between the church and the
Steele's Mill officials, especially during the presidency of Mr.
John W. Porter, who has substantially aided the church.
A study of the statistical table reveals no substantial gains
in total members until the 'twenties. One should recall how-ever
that during the preceding years many difficulties had to
be overcome. It required courage and conviction to establish
a Baptist church under rather unfavorable conditions. In those
prior years the enduring foundations were laid for the splendid
harvest that has come during the pastorate of Thos. W. Hearne.
In the spring of 1926 the rapid growth of the church made
it necessary that the present wings and additional Sunday School
rooms be added. The entire church was remodeled including
the erection of a balcony and the installation of a Baptistry.
This recalls to the mind of the older members that prior there-to
the Baptismal services were held at the mouth of Rocky
Branch where it flows into the Steele's Mill Pond.
Each year during the past fifteen years have seen many new
improvements added to the church plant and today the church
is conservatively valued at $7,500.00. Prior to 1925 the church
received each year support from the Baptist State Mission
Board. Such support has not been requested or needed since.
In 1929 gifts totaling $2,006.96 were given to local expenses
and $145.00 given to mission and denominational causes.
The following Clerks have faithfully served the church:
W. I. Robbins, 1897-1899; J. A. Combs. 1900-1904; O. A. Sullivan,
1905-1907; J. H. Webb, 1908-1910; W. L. Messick, 1911-1914;
J. M. Douglas, 1916-1921; Maude Millican. 1922; Thomas Brooks,
1923; Virginia Pittman, 1924-1938; Mrs. R. R. Ussery, 1939
Superintendents of the Sunday School have been: R. T.
Caudle, 1897-1898; J. A. Combs, 1899; R. T. Caudle, 1900-1901;
L. B. Brady, 1902; M. J. Hutchinson, 1903-1904; W. A. Parker,
1905; P. G. Webb, 1906; J. J. Parker, 1907-1910; P. G. Webb,
1911-1912; J. F. Hicks, 1913; H. H. Deaver, 1914-1915; J. E. Us-sery,
1916-1917: W. E. Smith, 1918-1920; J. E. Ussery, 1921-1922;
S. T. Arnold, 1923; H. T. Gainev, 1924; H. H. Dabbs, 1925-1928;
O. D. Bland, 1929-1931; L. C. Ross, 1932; R. R. Ussery, 1933-
1938, and O. D. Bland, 1939-
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
STATISTICAL HISTORY COS?DOVA BAPTIST CHURCH
Year—Pastor Church Local Dem. Total
Members Gifts Gifts Gifts
1897 T. S. Wright 30 $ 26.25 $ 4.25 $ 30.50
1898 T. S. Wright 30 15.40 4.60 20.00
1899 T. S. Wright 33 151.50 5.76 157.26
1900 T. S. Wright 37 378.75 22.27 401.02
1901 T. S. Wright 20 100.25 4.25 104.50
1902 T. S. Wright .37 163.25 14.00 177.25
1903 T. S. Wright 68 93.50 2.90 96.40
1904 T. S. Wright 104 74.25 4.75 79.00
1905 T. S. Wright 75 130.00 50.00 180.00
1906 T. J. Hudson 132 235.50 35.00 270.50
1907 L. E. McDavid 135 171.00 85.00 256.00
1908 P. H. Purnell 117 182.00 52.25 234.25
1909 P. H. Purnell 119 206.65 55.00 261.65
1910 P. H. Purnell 80 260.00 55.00 315.00
1911 Jerry Reeves 65 286.00 65.00 351.00
1912 Jerry Reeves
1913 Jerry Reeves 58 217.50 78.50 296.00
1914 Jerry Reeves 60 234.85 83.12 297.97
191-5 C. E. Edwards 47 227.75 28.98 256.73
1916 C. E. Edwards 41 212.30 19.59 231.89
1917 C. E. Edwards 60 198.95 67.82 266.77
1918 A. G. Melton 63 624.50 66.14 690.64
1919 A. G. Melton 547.42 166.00 713.42
1920 W. M. Huggins 72 437.08 170.65 607.73
1921 Vacant 72 1002.32 25.85 1028.17
1922 J. H. Booth 74 830.00 50.00 880.00
1923 J. H. Booth 85 551.57 22.91 574.48
1924 T. W. Hearne 85 537.92 29.50 567.42
1925 T. W. Hearne 112 1012.91 41.41 1054.32
1926 T. W. Hearne 151 2073.17 121.93 2195.10
1927 T. W. Hearne 203 2342.77 184.67 2527.44
1928 T. W. Hearne 223 1595.31 166.04 1761.35
1929 T. W. Hearne 260 1620.36 45.60 1665.96
1930 T. W. Hearne 208 1543.61 110.30 1653.91
1931 T. W. Hearne 246 1569.76 250.89 1820.65
1932 T. W. Hearn- 270 1522.52 113.12 1635.64
1933 T. W. Hearne 269 1454.39 94.33 1548.72
1934 T. W. Hearn- 270 1718.51 102.00 1820.51
1935 T. W. Hearne 305 1491.88 136.75 1628.63
1936 T. W. Hearne 334 1824.15 130.^1 1954.8"
1937 T. W. Hearne 324 1979.55 185.00 2164.55
1938 T. W. Hearne 349 1852.86 68.08 1920.94
1939 T. W. Hearne 368 2006.96 145.00 2151.96
$33,705.17 $3,144.92 $38,850.09
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
PLEASANT GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
P. G. Webb, Clerk : : : : : W. F. Campbell, Treasurer
Miss Sally Dabbs, Pianist
W. F. Campbell, Supt. S. S.
Miss Nellie Brigman, Secretary
DEACONS:
W. F. Campbell, P. G. Webb, Eli English, Baxter Richardson.
TRUSTEES
:
Daniel E. Campbell, Baxter Richardson, Eli English.
HISTORICAL SKETCH
In 18S2. or early in 1883, seven devout Missionary Baptists, living
about 7 miles south of Rockingham on the old Sandhill Road, met and
organized Pleasant Grove Church. It is an inspiring story how these early
pioneering Baptists set themselves to the task of building—they included
two brothers, J. M. and H. S. Lyles and their wives; Mr. and Mrs. J. B.
Williams, and H. E. Maske.
These men and women were assisted in organizing by Rev. J. M. Ben-nett
who perhaps served as pastor for a short while; he died June 26, 1935,
at age of 75 and was buried at Canton. J. B. Williams and H. S. Lyles
were named as first Deacons, and J. M. Lyles and H. E. Maske as Trustees.
On April 23, 1884, the Church acquired a tract of land from John W.
Cole and on this they built. In later years, Henry C. Wall gave them addi-tional
land, making the whole area three acres.
During the first year at "laying by" time, the three men members
assisted by a few neighbors cut from the land enough timber to erect
the church. The logs were sawed at the mill of W. E. Crosland Sr., free
of charge. During the second year the frame-work, roof and sides were
built and in the third year the first services were held. During the ensuing
years the interior was finished. In the meantime, while all this was taking
place, the little group held services in the old "brush arbor" and in the
old Smith school.
The record is not available for each pastor—probably Revs. J. M. Ben-nett,
R. L. Pruette, Livingston Johnson, E. D. Cameron until 1894. There-after,
the pastors were: Revs. J. F. Tuttle 1895; T. S. Wright 1895-1904; J. W.
Cobb 1905; T. J. Hudson 1906; I. E. McDavid 1907; P. H. Purnell 1908-1910;
Jerry Reeves 1911-1914; C. E. Edwards 1915-1917; A. G. Melton 1918-1919;
W. M. Huggins 1920-1921; J. H. Booth 1922-1924.
In 1924 Rev. T. W. Hearne accepted the call and is its pastor at the
present time (1939).
In 1895, 13 years after organizing, the membership was 57. In 1924,
it was 51—but during his 15 years pastorate, Bro. Hearne has increased it
to 138 in 1939.
Many former members are buried in the church cemetery—a total now
of 125; among them, J. B. Watkins and wife and Mrs. J. B. Williams. Many
names are linked with the early history of the church, including the William-sons,
Campbells, Gardners, Smiths, Lides, Farmers, Grices, Dabbs, Webbs,
Brigmans, Richardsons, Austins and many others.
The Church has ordained and sent out one of the former members,
Thomas Lide, who is today a prominent Baptist pastor in South Carolina.
Since January 1, 190G, W. F. Campbell has served as Sunday School
Supt., and is the oldest church officer.
The greatest growth has been during T. W. Hearne's pastorate. In 1934
five additional S. S. rooms were built. Outstanding years were 1932 when 20
were baptized, 27 in 1934, 16 in 1936, 13 in 1937. A total of $6627.46 has
been given to local expenses since 1924, and $803.84 to denominational causes,
or a grand total gifts of $7531.30 during the pastorate of "Preacher" Hearne
•—a fine achievement for a loyal group. All honor to Pleasant Grove.
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
On Oct. 15th, 1939, the three Baptist churches of Pee Dee,
Cordova and Pleasant Grove held an anniversary service com-memorating
the 15th anniversary of Rev. T. W. Hearne as their
Pastor.
The service was held in the large school building at Cor-dova,
and it was full of admiring friends.
Among the speakers were Judge Don Phillips, L. J. Bell,
Rev. Bruce Benton, C. B. Deane, and the sermon by Dr. E. S.
Summers, pastor of the First Baptist church of Concord; he
was introduced by C. C. Burris, president of Wingate Junior
College, who presided.
In addition, statistical reports were prepared by Miss Vir-ginia
Pittman and Miss Viola Phifer from Cordova and Pee Dee
churches.
At the conclusion of the service Oct. 15th, Pastor Hearne
was given a delightful surprise—he was presented with a brand
new 1340 Dodge automobile by his several congregations.
And now here are the articles, starting first with the in-troduction
by President C. C. Burris, then the sermon by Dr.
Summers. This phase of the service started at 11 o'clock, with
adjournment at 12:30 for lunch. In the afternoon were the
various commendatory addresses.
Sermon by Rev. E. S. Summers
INTRODUCTION BY C. C. BURRIS:
Ladies, gentlemen and friends, we meet today on a very
happy occasion, the Fifteenth Anniversary for Rev. T. W.
Hearne—1924 to 1939, he has been your Pastor.
I wish to thank you for the honor and privilege of presid-ing
over this meeting and it is a pleasure indeed for me to come
in fellowship with you and assist in some way to show honor to
your Pastor and my good friend. I am sure we all appreciate
the use of this nice building that we are privileged to use to-day
and I hope that while it is not the House of God, we will
be careful not to abuse it in any way.
It is a pleasure indeed, too, to have with us today, Mr.
Rommie Pierce from Wingate Junior College Faculty to conduct
our singing.
I think all parts of our Church program are important,
teaching service of Sunday School with all of its manifesta-tion
for the progress of God's Work; training service of the
young people; various works that we do in our community,
heloing the poor, visiting the shut-ins, all those things are a
part—ministering the sick—all these, but the most important
part of the Church work is the preaching of God's Word. I
think it should be given the central place and primary place
and all other functions of the Church should tend toward the
preaching service.
I believe in paying honor to whom honor is due and the
Pastor is the most important officer of the Church, he is called
of God and we ought to give honor unto him as unto God. I
think it is very fitting that the central part of this exercise,
the main part, be the Sermon, and so I wish to compliment and
10 Sketcjh of Local Baptist Churches
congratulate your committee that you have thus made it your
central part of this morning's service at this hour. I congratu-late
and compliment your committee, and I rejoice with you,
for your selection of the Preacher of this morning's hour
—
friend of your Pastor through the years and personal friend
of mine and yours, if you know him. One of God's own Baptist
Evangelist, Servant of the people. It is with pleasure and
pride that I introduce to you as the Preacher of the Hour, Rev.
E. S. Summers, Pastor First Baptist Church of Concord, and
the hour is his.
SERMON BY REV. MR. SUMMERS
There must be a very close personal association and a very
strong call upon my heart to cause me to be away from my own
dear Church on a Sunday morning worship hour. Such per-sonal
association have I had with your beloved pastor that I
could not resist coming to this service where his fine work and
true worth are being rightfully recognized. The Churches here
represented were so gracious to me, when I was here with you
in some meetings a few years ago, and such a flood of happy
memories flowed over my soul when Brother Humber's invita-tion
came again I was unable to resist the urge to be with you
in this glad hour.
My subject on this beautiful occasion is "A Crown and the
Heart of God." As a basis for our thought I point you to two
texts of Scripture. The first is Philippians 4:1,, "My brethren
dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and my crown." The
second text is Jeremiah 3:15, "I will give you pastors according
to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and under-standing."
Before we go further I want to say this introductory word.
From the depths of my heart do I appreciate the people of these
three good churches letting me have a little part in this your
day of rejoicing. At this time you honor first of all Christ, the
great Head of the Church and the great Shepherd of the sheep,
then yourselves as the followers of Christ as you worthily honor
Christ's faithful under shepherd, your princely pastor. Occa-sions
such as this are cases along life's way. Such rich and
sacred fellowships give relief from the grit and grind of the
long desert march, give zest and courage for the tiresome jour-ney
on the wide plateau and power for the steep and perilous
climb to the mountain top where a vision of the fellowship of
God's home may be seen.
I'm happy to be among Christians who know how to be
friendly. How this sin-sick, war-torn world needs the spirit
of brotherhood and Christian friendship. Yes, and how often
do some Christian people need to be reminded of the every day
notices and common courtesies of life. The dear little three
year old girl who couldn't talk very plain prayed far more
meaningfully than she knew when she added to her child's
prayer, "And dood Dod make all badpeople dood and make all
dood people nice." True friendships, the kind you people de-monstrated
to me some years ago, the kind that makes this day
possible and the kind the evidences of which I see mirrored on
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 11
your faces today, may yet make this old world a better place
in which to live.
With the passing days the conviction is being more and
more firmly planted in my soul that friendship cemented by
Christian love is man's dearest earthly treasure. In saying this
I'm not minimizing the home. But our homes will be disrupted
unless friendship's ties are sufficient to hold the home together.
Nor am I minimizing money with all the blessings it may bring.
But money will buy little where there are no friends. I'm not
forgetting our loved ones. But even our loved ones may be-come
burdensome where friendships have been sundered.
Truly the great Apostle says that the greatest of all is love and
yet love becomes helpless unless friendships give to love avenues
of expression. Jesus loved Jerusalem but when friendship in
the Oity of the great king was lacking even the love of Jesus
was expressed in the bitter wail : "0 Jerusalem, thou that kill-est
the prophets and stoneth them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen
gatherest her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."
The happiest man I ever remember meeting was a pastor
who loved his people devotedly—had loved them through the
years and still loved them—but somehow the ties of friendship
had broken and he had no way of expressing his love to those
for whom his heart yearned. On the other hand, I feel that
about the happiest man in all the world is that pastor whose
churches, after fifteen years of fellowship, magnify the endear-ing
and enduring ties of friendship in occasions such as this
when reciprocal Christian love can have its rightful place.
Now let me say but two brief words about the true connec-tion
between a pastor and his people.
1. A CHURCH RIGHTLY RELATED TO HER PASTOR
IS THAT PASTOR'S PRICELESS CROWN. In my first text
read a few moments ago (Philippians 4:1) Paul speaks of a
church similar to Pleasant Grove, Cordova or Pee Dee as "My
joy and my crown." A man is really king when he is held in
kingly esteem in the hearts of his people. He is declared king
when a crown is placed upon his head. Today you crown your
pastor with words and tokens or honor, but his true crown is
you. Your friendship, loyalty and love shown through the
years that have been and shall be are more gracious tokens than
you could possibly bestow in any single day though you might
crown him with the costliest material crown of earth.
A crown speaks, first of all, of loyalty in following the
leader. So just as you people faithfully follow the leadership
of your dear pastor as he follows Christ do you worthily crown
his efforts. The next message of a crown is that of loyalty.
When a church moves forward in one bond of Christian love
then the crown on the head also gladdens the heart of the pas-tor.
In the third place a crown speaks of fidelity. You have
been faithful in your love guarding the position, the home and
the good name of your pastor and guarding the good fellow-ship
of the church he loves. You haven't let Satan, sin or un-worthy
men steal away his crown. As again and again you
prove true he shall continue to be able to say with Paul "My
12 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
helping hand and has never interferred with or crossed me in
joy and my crown."
The last word of a crown is the word of success. A king
retains his crown just so long as his army is successful. So
just as you church members win the battle over sin in your
daily lives, over sin in your community and just as you join
your forces with your sister churches in great missionary en-deavor
that Christ may conquer in all the world will you con-tinue
to be a worthy crown.
2. My second word must be spoken briefly, it is thus: A
PASTOR RIGHTLY RELATED TO HIS CHURCH IS GOD'S
HEART FOR THAT CHURCH. In the last of the two verses
read as our text (Jeremiah 3:15), Jehovah says to those He
loves, "I will give you pastors according to mine heart." An
ancient Chinese proverb said: "God couldn't be everywhere so
He made mothers." While perhaps you would not put it just
that way still the old proverb does express a true and beauti-ful
relationship. In some such manner let me say that Christ,
the great Shepherd or Pastor, could only be everywhere in
spiritual presence so He made under Shepherds, or Pastors to
visibly and tangibly be His heart of love and blessing for His
people.
Christ says to such men as your Pastor, "Go preach—make
disciples—baptize them—teach them—and lo, I am with thee
always even to the end of the ages." Christ comes with His
gospel and with the preacher of His gospel into many hearts,
homes, communities and churches.
Through the lips of your human pastor the voice of the
spiritual God becomes audible in the message of salvation as
souls have been led to know Christ as Savior and Lord. Through
the faithful pastor's ministries God's heart has been interpreted
to you in your hours of uncertainty, sorrow and need as he has
brought understanding, comfort and strength from on high.
If and when there has been failure remember that God says
through His great servant Paul that He has placed this minis-try
not in the hands of angels but in earthen vessels that the
glory might be of God and not of man.
The responsibility of being the very heart of God, as the
pastor is to interpret the love of God to his people, humbles any
God-called pastor and leads him to plead for and to constantly
depend upon the love, forgiveness, friendship and prayers of
his faithful people. My prayer is that you who have labored
together so successfully under the good hand of your God for
these fifteen years may be the recipients of even greater bless-ings
from God as He shall guide you even more gloriously in
the years that are yet to come. May God bless you.
Hearne as a
EY JUDGE F. DON PHILLIPS
My friends, it gives me great pleasure to perform the
small part of this service that I am now about to perform. A
lady of your community informed me of this fine tribute that
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 13
you are now paying your Pastor and asked me to join you today
since I was a close personal friend of Mr. Hearne. She did not
say a word about me having1 to make a speech, and not until
Saturday did I know that I was to speak and not until this af-ternoon
did I know what I was to speak about. So you will
know what I say will be entirely impromptu and from my heart.
I have learned to know Mr. Hearne (I call him Preacher)
in these past fifteen years very well. I have had a great deal
of pleasure talking with him about the problems of his work
and the problems of my work. Many days I have met him in
Dave Henry's store and we would talk together and I would give
him my opinions and advice in regard to his problems and he
would give me his God given advice in regard to my official
and everyday problems.
These people around nere have certainly been doing some
"Dodging" about in the last few days. Preacher Hearne has
been "dodging" for quite awhile now—not the wrong kind of
dodging however—dodging here and there doing God's work
among his people and then dodging publicity for this honorable
work. Today Mr. Hearne's friends have said many good and
honorable things of him which we all know to be true but there
is one thing about him which they failed to mention. This fine
quality which they failed to mention is Tolerance. You know
and I know a great many good me,n, Godly men that fail in this
respect. Mr. Hearne, however, has more tolerance than any
man I have ever known. When he hears of one that has fallen
by the wayside he goes straight to his side (not behind his back
and helps to down him further by telling others of his down-fall)
and asks to let him do something to help bring him back
to God. My friends, tolerance is one of the greatest attributes
a man can possess. I heard a sermon sometime ago preached by
one of the great North Carolina Bishops, and I was glad to
hear the preacher that delivered the sermon to us today handle
the same subject matter so ably. The gist of his subject was
that the Christian people worshiped an invisible God. He said
that God's children could not see him physically and the only
way that God could be revealed to his people was through the
lives of men and women upon the earth. Preacher Hearne for
fifteen (15) years has moved among the people of this com-munity
and by his works, visiting the sick, helping the needy,
advising the downfallen, burying the dead, praying with the
sorrowful and in many other countless ways, has been reveal-ing
the presence of God to his peopd.e. By his life he has shown
to the people of this community the presence of our Invisible
God.
My friends, the task you have so kindly given me to per-form
and which I consider an honor and a privilege, because
you have asked me to convey a small measure of your love to
your Beloved Pastor—Preacher Hearne, I now, on behalf of
your people, who love and respect you, present to you, as a small
tok°n of their love and appreciation, the keys to a New 1940
Dodge Automobile.
14 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Hearne as a Neighboring Pastor
BY REV. BRUCE BENTON.
I don't know whether I am supposed to talk about myself
as a neighboring Pastor or talk about Brother Hearne as a
Neighboring Pastor. But I assume that I am to talk about my
neighbor—to say what I please about him. We have the privi-lege
of saying about our neighbors just what we want to say,
anywhere and at any time, but there are a few things that I
don't say to my wife, nor to any other woman. I feel this af-ternoon
that we should not overlook the fact that our neighbor
here has a wife, and if you will believe one who has been mar-ried
sometime, and who has had quite a bit of experience, more
is to be attributed to the wife for the success of these Churches
than to the husband. Now he does not like that, but I don't
care. Now what I say to her I will say it privately—not in
the presence of her husband.
As a neighboring Pastor, I was here when Mr. Hearne
came. When he came to Rockingham I had never seen him
before, and I didn't care much and he didn't either—we were
just a little shy of each other—he didn't fool around me and
you believe me—I didn't fool around him either. So we just
went along with an eye on each other—I was trying to see what
kind of a man he was before I was willing to commit myself,
and I suppose he was doing the same. For about a year we
didn't have anything to do with each other, but in length of
time I had watched him closely, and I became convinced that
he was just the man for the situation at Pee Dee and Cordova
Churches. He was needed in this community, and I extended to
him the palm branch after about a year, and he accepted, and
from that day to this we have talked and walked together, and
when we want to do any mischief we do it together. He is one
of the funniest fellows to travel about with you have ever seen.
He won't take his members along—no, he wouldn't do that.
When he wishes to relax we go off sometimes half a day, and
then sometimes a full day and night, and I have to wire back
home and tell my wife where vve are. He just tells me all
about you men and women, but there is one thing I have noticed,
he won't let me say a thing against one of you ; he tells me he
has a right to say what he pleases about his own people, but I
just can't say a word; and I tell him about my people and if
he says anything, I, too, put a stop to that right now. You
know a preacher has to have a little outlet for his surplus
energy—somebodv to explode on. After he has gone throng 1
!
the services on Sunday, Monday morning he is on the warpath
and a very dangerous man; he will get mad with anybody abo"t
anything. I think that is one of the reasons we get away from
home on Mondav. Women have a lot of sense—well, women
DO have a lot of sense, and thev gently work it in some way to
get us out of the house on Monday, but by Monday night every-thing
is all right. After Monday the preacher has toned down,
and then he is ready for the next week's work.
I have labored with this man for fifteen years. He and I
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 15
have never had any cross purposes. I have rejoiced in the
success, worked along with him in harmony. You know,
preachers are envious and jealous of each other. Ordinarily,
you let a preacher succeed with his work and immediately other
preachers will rise up to criticise him. Somehow, there is
something in us that just simply puts a fighting attitude when
another fellow preacher begins to rise up and become prosper-ous;
but I will say this out of an honest heart, I have rejoiced
since the first day he came into the field, and I have tried to
render him a helping hand, and he has always rendered me his
helping hand and has never interferred with or crossed me in
my work. We have worked together in perfect harmony. He
is one person I have run with more frequently and talked to
more openly, and revealed to more of my secrets than any other
man with whom I have worked. I have told him things of my
work, and he has told me things of his work—I know him like
a book. I know him from his feet up, and he and I have walk-ed
and talked and lived together these fifteen years in great
harmony; and if the Good Lord should remove him from this
earth before He removes me, I will have a sad heart, because I
shall miss him. I hope that we may live here a long time, and
if I should go first, I shall not expect him to say any good things
about me when I am gone; but I would appreciate it, if he
would drop a tear on my casket; and if he goes first I shall drop
a tear on his casket because of the love that I have had for him.
A Layman's View of Hearne
BY L. J. BELL
It is a very great pleasure to me to have the opportunity
to make a small contribution to this very interesting program.
It is eminently fitting that 15 years of faithful and far-reaching
service in a community should be recognized, and it
is equally sure that in paying a tribute to a public benefactor
of this type, we do but, in a measure, honor ourselves.
For all these years Rev. Thos. W. Hearne has been one of
the leading ministers of his great denomination in the Pee Dee
section of North and South Carolina.
No man has ever had more loyal support or heartier co-operation
on the part of his members and church workers than
he. His churches are wide-awake and active, gathering their
enthusiasm from his own dynamic personality and leadership.
Calls have repeatedly come to him to leave and go to larger
and perhaps more remunerative pastorates elsewhere. His
congregations on these occasions have risen en masse, begging
and praying him to remain. In these petitions entire commu-nities,
regardless of church affiliation have anxiously and
eagerly joined, and he has stayed to serve and bless these com-munities
with his life and service.
It is pretty generally admitted that to be a great preacher
or a great physician or a great teacher, or great in any of life's
vocations, one must be right much of a man, a real man, to
start with. You can't do much of anything with a wishy-washy,
purposeless drifting, spineless creature, and all the
16 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
education and training in the world will never make a man of
him.
Preacher Hearne, as he is generally called, is a man of
courage and convictions. He believes in things and expresses
his opinions clearly, forcefully and positively, and is ready
to stand by them and fight for them if necessary.
In his preaching he shoots straight from the shoulder.
There is no compromising, no trimming, no side-stepping, no
pussy footing in his whole make-up. When he gets through
you know where he stands, and his congregations like his hon-esty
and sincerity.
And yet his great heart is as tender and sympathetic as
that of a little child. He can hate and despise sin, while pity-ing
the poor misguided sinner. I shall long remember the
strong message he brought to this community when he preach-ed
the sermon dedicating this building two years ago.
He is intensely interested in young people and they reci-procate
in their feeling for him. If I am not mistaken he has
been a very active member of the Board of Trustees of Win-gate
Junior College for some time, and for some 6 or more
years Chairman of the School Committee of the Pee Dee School.
He is always ready and willing to serve whenever and wherever
he can benefit the young life of his day and time.
Without a doubt he is one of the most popular men in Rich-mond
County. He likes people and therefore people like him.
Never in my life have I heard anyone speak of him without say-ing
something nice and complimentary about him.
I am reminded of a story that is told of Charles Lamb, the
famous English essayist and story teller. In the course of a
conversation with a friend, a certain man's name was used,
sweet-spirited Charles Lamb said, with a good deal of empha-sis,
"Don't mention that fellow's name to me. I naturally hate
him." His friend replied, "Why, Charles, I didn't think you
even knew him." Charles Lamb said, "Of course I don't know
him. If I know him, I couldn't hate him.' r
I wonder if that isn't the principal reason we dislike some-body?
Perhaps we just don't know him well enough to learn
his likeable traits.
Preacher Hearne knows everybody and loves everybody,
carrying out the Scripture admonition to "love thy neighbor as
thyself." If he has ever had a headache or a grouch or gotten
up in a, bad humor, /nobody has ever found it out, unless it be
his good wife, and she hasn't told it.
He has a keen sense of humor and a great fund of stories
that have grown up out of his own experience. No doubt his
love of clean fun and his quick perception of the ridiculous
have served as shock absorbers to cany him through the many
trying and annoying situations of every day life.
I am proud to be numbered among his many friends. We
are of about the same physical statute. I don't have to reach
up to him and he doesn't have to reach down to me. This is
very gratifying to a small man like myself. I like to put my
arm about his shoulder and walk along with him. Apparently
he doesn't resent—and I hope this gesture on my part tells
Ffl
__ owl -
h of Local- BapiietChMrcfogg 17
him of my respect for him as a man and my genuine affection
for him as a friend.
True friendship between man and man is one of the divinest
things in the world, and one of the most unselfish emotions that
stirs the human heart. It is the Golden Cord that links earth
to Heaven. Don't you think this is an over-statement? Then
listen to one of the most beautiful passages in the New Testa-ment.
I shall use the word Love in place of Charity, for
they mean the same here:
'Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels,
and have not love, I am become as sounding brass and tinkling
cymbals.
And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all
mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that
I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it
profiteth me nothing.
Love suffereth long and is kind; love envieth not, love
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.
Doth not behave itself unseemingly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.
Beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things.
Love never faileth."
There is a beautiful poem, along the same thought, which
is familiar to every High School pupil.
Abou Ben Adhem may his tribe increase
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace
And saw within the moonlight in his room
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom.
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold
And to the presence in the room he said
"What writest thou?" The vision raised its head
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is minq one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke moire low
But cheerily still and said, "I pray thee then
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."
Then the angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo, Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.
I have tried to show you in plain, simple words the picture
of Rev. Thos. W. Hearne as the public knows him. He has
marked out for himself a course in life to which he is as true
as the needle to the pole, and which is summed up in the
Scripture quotation:
"And what doth God require of thee but to do justly and to
love mercy, and to work humbly with thy God."
This is the pattern of his life.
18 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
How His Churches Regard Him
BY C. B. DEANE
I greet you Mr. Hearne and Mrs. Hearne and you splendid
folks who compose the membership of Cordova, Pleasant Grove
and Pee Dee Churches. This is a most joyful occasion and I
too rejoice in the event that brings us together today.
It is not often that a group of churches can come together
and report such splendid financial accomplishments as were
contained in the reports that have just been submitted. Neither
is it easy to take a group of figures and make a very interesting
statement. However we are all able to fully appreciate "a bal-ance".
Most of our churches show "overdrafts," if I may be
allowed to use1 the language of the banker. The 'reports that
have been read by the ladies representing the three churches
pastored by Mr. Hearne during these fifteen years do not tell
the whole story. They do not give us sufficient information
to realize that at Cordova, Pleasant Grove and at Pee Dee
groups of faithful members have worked hard and faithfully to
show at the end of these fifteen years an outstanding balance
both spiritually and financially.
While these reports were being read I thought of that in-cident
recorded in the New Testament, where Christ, now risen
from the dead, joined two of his disciples as they journeyed
toward Emmaus. The deciples did not recognize the Master
until He joined them in an evening meal along the roadside.
Thereafter the Lord vanished and these two disciples said one to
the other: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he spake
with us along the way." Such must be the feeling of everyone
in this audience this afternoon. As we iisten to the speeches
and especially as we listened to the reports we can express the
sentiment expressed by those two disciples two thousand years
ago — "Does not our hearts glow with justifiable pride as we
recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the Pastor and
members of these three churches during the past fifteen years."
If I may, let me repeat the figures which show the gifts
made to the Co-operative Program which represents the dif-ferent
phases of the denominational program, and which does
not include local church gifts.
And may I say that in order to appreciate these gifts we
must realize that each of the churches began with a small hand-ful
of members fifteen years ago. Cordova has given $962.05,
Pleasant Grove $325.60 and Pee Dee $1,193.22.
A study of the records of all Churches reveal the fact that
as a church supports its benevolent or missionary program just
in the same proportion will it develop spiritually and show
marked progress in all of its activities. These churches are
certainly carrying forward a missionary program that is worthy
of emulation. It is an inspiration to us your friends, who
share in this happy occasion and we congratulate you.
A feature of these reports, and about which little, if any-thing
was said, is the fact that the churches are free of debt.
In this day most of our churches are staggering along with
excessive debts. Churches like individuals cannot do their best
Sketch of Local Baptist Churches 19
work when faced with pressing obligations. The fact that your
churches are out of debt is worthy of note when you witness the
splendidly equipped and modern churches in which you worship
from Sunday to Sunday.
A beautiful tribute is due the membership of these churches
because of the loyal and faithful service accorded your pastor.
One would fail in his duty if he failed to emphasize this fact.
Since 1924, the year your Pastor assumed the Pastorate of
these churches we have passed through some very trying years.
When Mr. Hearne came to Richmond County our County, and
State and Nation was just emerging from the World War. They
were trying and difficult days and when coupled with days and
weeks and months of unemployment the membership of thes2
churches responded to the challenge and leadership of the good
man we honor today. One of the very first acts of your
churches fifteen years ago was to assume the entire financial
burden of the churches. Prior to 1924 the greater part of the
Pastor's salary was paid by the Baptist State Mission Board
Since 1924 you have assumed this responsibility and today your
churches are among the leaders in the Pee Dee Association.
It has not been an easy task but I know that you are happy you
made the sacrifice. Today you can rejoice in a task well done
and launch out into an even greater program.
Another significant feature that comes from a study of
these reports is that approximately 95 per cent of the present
membership of your churches, now totaling 924 were brought
in during this decade and half thru the efforts of your present
Pastor. This does not take into account the hundreds of mem-bers
who have moved away during this period. It thrills us
all when we note that during this year a total of 82 person^
were received for Baptism alone. Indeed you are carrying out
the Commission of our Master.
These words of mine are not intended to be a boastful
oration. The facts indicate that here we have a happy, co-operative
membership, following the leadership of a faithful
aggressive Minister. The natural outgrowth of such a fellow-ship
is reflected in the excellent reports and events which bring
to a close fifteen years of devoted Ministry.
I congratulate you, Mr. Hearne and Mrs. Hearne, and you
his loyal members. May the events of this day challenge you
to even greater goals.
Mr. Hearne's Reply
APPRECIATIVE OF KIND WORDS
Mr. Burris, distinguished visitors, my friends:
The moment seems too sacred for me to say anything. My
heart is deeply moved. Mr. Benton has told you of a few of
our experiences together, interspersing his remarks with a few
jokes. For a moment I was afraid he wras going to tell some-thing.
Before he got through he took all the talk out of me—if
there was any in me. If I am shaking, you may know that it
is not because I am cold.
20 Sketch of Local Baptist Churches
Of course, any man would appreciate the nice things that
have been said. I am indebted to my freinds that have appeared
on this program—your program, not mine. Many of my friends
could not be here today, not through any choice of their own,
but circumstances over which they have not control, made it
impossible. While I am deeply grateful to you visitors that
have come with us today, and said these fine things about
me, I want you to know that I am ever thankful to the many
devoted men, women, boys and girls who constitute the con-gregations
that I serve. After all, you have made this hour
possible; you, the people I serve daily, and have made a sincere
effort to serve, in my limited way, through these years. I| will
never be able to thank you for the many kind things you have
done for me. You have put food on my table, clothes on my
back, your unselfish devotion and loyalty to me as your pastor
has also made it possible for me to have a home on the hill top;
and now you come, bringing this fine car as a token of your
love and esteem for me. Surely you can understand why
I am almost overcome with emotion. Added to all that has
been said and done here today, I am not unmindful of your
willingness to stand by me in the hours that were darkest.
Your willingness to uphold my hand at all times has made
it possible for me to carry on in this great work. No man
has ever served a more loyal people, and the true sentiment
oif my heart is that I thank God for you.
I feel as the young man that graduated with great hon|ors
from one of our colleges. During the graduation service
he was presented with several medals. At the close of
the exeircises he was asked to say something, and when
presented by the President of the Class, the young man
arose and walked down from the stage and back near the
door. He laid his hands on a plain little gray-haired lady
wearing a black bonnet. By her side was a poorly clad
man. He insisted until he got them to come down to the
front with him, and then he stated, "Mr. President, mem-bers
of this faculty, and my friends that are gathered here,
I want you to meet the greatest man and woman I have ever
known. These medals all belong to them, all the honor be-longs
to them. All that I ever expect to be, I owe to them.
Back on the farm they labored, they gave their prayers, their
whole lives so that this great hour might be possible. I
feel today that if honor is to be bestowed, it is to my people
—
Honor unto whom honor is due."
God bless each one of you, and don't let the day, if it be
hot, nor the night, if it be cold, fail to call upon me if you
need me. It is the joy of my life to serve you and to these
great men of God that have come here and said the nice things
about me, they are my friends, Mr. Benton, Mr. Burris and Mr.
Bell, Mr. Deane, Judge Phillips and all the rest—I don't know
what to say other than I love you. Let's all go home now and
in another fifteen years you can come back and bring me
an aeroplane.
Historical Data Compiled and Edited by
C. B. Deane, Clerk Pee Dee Baptist Association.
PRINTED BY POST-DISPATCH, ROCKINGHAM, N. C.
GC 286.1 D283h
Deane, C. B.
Historical sketches, Pee Dee, Cordova, a
3 3091 00116 0175
DATE DUE
GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A.
PAMPHLET BINDER
^ZZ Syracuse, N. Y.
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D2S3h
Dearie, comp.
Historical sketches Pee Dee, Cordova,
Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist
Churches, Richmond County, North
Carolina
mo.
- . M